A large and influential group of leaders in health, healthcare and community-based organizations have come together to create the “Quality Living to the End of Life” coalition.
The mission of the “Quality Living to the End of Life” coalition is to encourage Western New York residents and their loved ones to consider, discuss and document their values and choices and to facilitate processes within the medical community that ensure that those values and choices are honored.
The coalition is comprised of Western New York hospital systems, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, the Performing Provider Systems (DSRIP’s Community Partners of WNY and Millennium Collaborative Care), the three health insurance payers, HEALTHeLINK, and leaders from academia and community based organizations.
The coalition is led by the P² Collaborative, which has been asked to spearhead the effort as a neutral convener.
John Craik, P²’s executive director, said that when he was named for the position a year ago, a number of health leaders indicated that the creation of a coalition such as this was a priority for Western New York.
“Effective January of 2016 doctors could bill Medicare for having the important conversations with patients about how they want to plan for the end of their lives, but just changing the billing codes hasn’t been enough to really drive changes. We’re hoping to change that by giving doctors and other healthcare professionals realistic and pragmatic tools, tips and guidance on how to do this crucial work with patients,” said Craik.
On Sept. 17, the coalition will host a half-day training on having meaningful discussions for healthcare professionals. The training will be an interactive affair that will include role-playing activities, speakers and a panel discussion with family, professional, academic, work flow and legal issues addressed.
Visit www.p2wny.org for more information.